


Where Would I Be Without You

by SweeetDreamz



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series, The New Adventures Of Batman
Genre: Dick Grayson is Robin, F/M, Family Issues, Fluff and Angst, Gotham City - Freeform, Joker is up to no good obviously, Protective Dick Grayson, Swearing, Teen Angst, Teen Dick Grayson, Teen Romance, Trust Issues, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweeetDreamz/pseuds/SweeetDreamz
Summary: Being involved with the Joker can have its consequences.But it's not like she has a choice, right?
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Original Female Character(s), Joker (DCU)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

I was always told that generosity and good intentions were what mattered. I was told that if I was good, good things were sure to find their way into my life. I wish that were true and that the world functioned in that manner. Surely good people’s lives deserved to be impacted positively? Perhaps I wasn't good enough? Perhaps all these years of being good had been for nothing?

Tragedy always finds a way to wiggle its merciless way into the lives of good people.

In the end, generosity, empathy, virtue, even good will is insignificant. No matter how good of a person you are, tragedy always finds a way in. And once it does, there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.

~~~

The overwhelmingly shrill wails of sirens exploded in my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut; the red flickering lights began to make my head spin. My flushed cheeks felt damp and sticky. I must have been crying, I noted to myself. I began to feel tightness around my chest and limbs, and that pushed me into a panicked frenzy.

 _"What’s going on?"_ I yelled out, clearly in distress. I attempted to sit up and look around, but I was fastened in place. I began to struggle and cry out; luckily my worried cries for help attracted the attention of two paramedics. The first one was a short, slim woman who was no more than thirty years of age; she had short brown hair that had been tightly pulled back into a pony tail. The dark circles under her warm, brown eyes were most definitely from lack of sleep. I couldn’t imagine first responders being able to get much sleep due to what they had to deal with on the job. She flashed me a sympathetic smile when she noticed my desperate stares.

 _"C'mon, let's get this girl into the ambulance. We’re not waiting for everyone else"_ the male paramedic said in a raspy voice. He sounded much older, but I couldn’t be too sure as he was standing directly behind me. I never got the chance to see his face before my vision started to blur.

As the two paramedics wheeled me into the ambulance, everything that took place that night rushed back to me like the flood gates of my mind have been breached. Tears started to well up as my body began to shake uncontrollably. I couldn't catch my breath. I couldn't breathe! I tried so hard to inhale the oxygen I desperately needed, but my body wasn’t cooperating. My lungs cried out for a simple breath as I began to choke and gasp for my life line. The lady immediately noticed my struggles and called for the male paramedic urgently.

_“Get this girl on O2 stat."_

Then everything went DARK.

~~~

"Mom!" I called out to the darkness. Within moments, a woman suddenly materialized in front of me. She had an aura about her that I couldn’t quite place my finger on. As I studied her cautiously, she turned around to face me. Her eyes were squinted slightly and her smile was bright against her almost ghostly complexion.

It was my mother.

My mother had the most beautiful smile that I have ever seen. Whenever she smiled, you could always catch a glimpse of her pearly white teeth peaking slightly from behind her rosy red lips. Her contagious smile could light up a room. Her eyes were a deep blue hue and were as comparable to gems. Her doe like eyes would sparkle whenever she laughed. Even when I was feeling down, her kind eyes and delicate smile always made me feel better. She used to tell me that that was her secret power. 

She wore her wavy, golden hair down past her shoulders as usual. She never dreamed of tying her beautiful hair up. My mother absolutely refused to tame her golden locks, as she enjoyed living freely. She never cared what other’s thought of her. That was one of the many reasons why I looked up to her. I always wanted to be happy and free of worry as she was.

The blonde suddenly turned around and slowly started walking away.

 _"Mom, where are you going?"_ I asked, but the women continued to walk further away into the darkness. My chest started to feel tight, and my eyes started to sting. _“Why is she leaving me?”_ The thought repeated itself over and over in my mind as the women walked further and further away. The click of her heals becoming almost inaudible.

"Mom!" I called out once more, but she didn’t slow her pace. I attempted to run after her, but the distance became too great. It was almost as if I wasn't even moving at all! The faster I tried to run, the further she appeared. The tears I held in began to burn the back of my throat as the darkness surrounded me once more.

"Mother?"

***10 YEARS LATER***

The crime rate has been rather slow since the Joker was apprehended, again, for his _'blowing up Gotham for the billionth time'_ scheme. Batman has been disappearing into the night as he usually did, but hasn’t offered for Robin to tag along for almost a month.

 _"He is probably ‘visiting’ Selena Kyle."_ The young sidekick muttered to himself as he slouched over the computer in the bat cave. He was currently watching the surveillance footage of the city. He’d never admit to it, but he was secretly hoping that something big would happen soon.

_"I have been checking out some leads, Robin."_ A low, but firm voice stated as a shadowy figure appeared behind the masked boy.

Robin’s eyes widened at that. Honestly, Robin wasn’t all too surprised by his mentor’s sudden appearance, but he did hope that Batman didn’t hear his prior comment _."Geez, just because you're the Dark Knight doesn't mean you can sneak up on people."_ The masked boy sighed as he turned away from the surveillance footage. _“So, what did you find out?"_ He asked, trying to hide his excitement.

 _"There have been multiple break-ins around Gotham in the past few weeks.”_ He stated in his usual monotone voice. _“No signs of a pattern except…”_

 _"Well it's probably a bunch of lowly thugs. Nothing we can't handle."_ The young sidekick cut in.

 _"Not exactly."_ Batman stated, his eyes narrowing behind his cowl.

 _“What do you mean?"_ Robin questioned.

Batman reached for his utility belt and grabbed something from it, before tossing it to Robin. _“No signs of a pattern except for this.”_ He continued. Robin reached out a grabbed the object before looking back up at his mentor, but he was gone before Robin got the chance to ask what it was.

The Boy Wonder looked down at the object that he held between his gloved hands, and was shocked to see what it was.

It was a playing card.

_A JOKER?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an old fic that I started back in December of 2014 on Wattpad.  
> I've recently decided to try rewriting this.
> 
> So, here's the prologue!  
> Hope you all like it! :)  
> SweeetDreamz  
> XOXO


	2. You're On My Level Now

The sound of maniacal laughter could be heard in the distance. It was more like hysterical shrieking now that I think of it. As I neared the source of the sound, I could feel an eerie aura surround me. Without any warning, two thin, but muscular arms snaked their way around my shoulders and tugged me backwards. I couldn't help but let out a strangled yelp as I was forced into a hard, wooden chair that dug into my back side. The sounds of the psychotic laugh rang through my ears as I looked around the room frantically for the source.

_"Well, well, well!"_ A sudden voice exclaimed. _"Back so soon?"_ A man chuckled sinfully within the shadows.

_"Why do you always do that?"_ I growled.

_"What? I'm just having a little fun."_ The man appeared from the shadows, revealing himself as he let out a howl of a laugh. His pasty, white skin and red lips gave him an almost mysterious, yet devilish appearance. His out of sorts, green hair and flashy purple suit were a complete contrast to his personality. Any passerby would think that he would be a hoot, but that sinister grin told otherwise.

_"Joker, I did exactly as you told me."_ I said impatiently.

_"Wonderful,"_ he cheered. _“You are much more useful than that dreadful Har... Harriett... Hannah... Oh, whatever her name was."_ He spat out hatefully.

_"Harley, Harley Quinn."_ I reminded him with an eye roll. This whole _‘denial’_ act was starting to get annoying.

_"Yes, that's it."_ He waved his hand dismissively at my words. He brushed off her name as if she had meant nothing to him, but all of Gotham knew otherwise. Harley Quinn used to be his partner in crime, I guess you could say. She would do anything for him. The Joker, of course, was never bothered with her feelings, but she refused to give up on him. When she finally had enough of the way he treated her, she left him and teamed up with Poison Ivy. To be honest I think they make a great team, but Joker certainly thought otherwise. When he realized he had nobody to do his dirty deeds, he just had to get her back. While searching for his _‘ex-partner’_ , he found me instead. _River Rose Clarence._

For the past ten years, I was in and out of foster homes like nobody’s business. I was always labeled as _'the problem child'_ , or 'the _child nobody wanted.'_ After the first few foster homes, I stopped caring. What was the point if I was just going to be transferred over and over again?

Being adopted was every foster kids dream but I learned early on that I wouldn’t have that chance. I dreaded the feeling, but I accepted it. By the time I turned 18, I was booted out of the only place I could call home. I had nowhere to go, but the system didn’t care for kids like me. Once fosters turned 18, they became the world’s problem.

I had no family, no money, and nobody I could rely on.

I was completely _ALONE._

That was until The Joker found me. You see, we both needed something. He needed somebody to boss around and have run not-so-legal errands, and I needed a somewhat safe place to call home. You may think that these circumstances didn’t seem fair, but the deal we made that night in the dark alley meant life or death.

If I stayed on the streets, who knows what would have happened to me. I was saved by the unlikeliest of people, and it all started with one phrase.

_"Why so serious?"_

~~~

_"That bastard."_ I cursed to myself. _"I just got back from his last 'request' and now he needs something else?! I just don't understand his logic!"_ I sighed to myself as I made the jump to the next rooftop over. What was the name of the shop he wanted me to _'visit'_ again? I couldn’t quite remember since he practically shooed me out as he gave me the latest task. Sheesh.

Shining Jewelry...

Golden....Jewels?

Right! It was Glimmering Jewelers! I smiled to myself, feeling the wind against my face as I jumped onto the next rooftop over. I could have taken the van, but Joker insisted that I go by foot. He said something about wanting me to catch the right attention? I wasn’t really sure what he meant by that, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the night breeze.

I started to pick up speed as I neared the edge of the current building I was on. My next jump was going to be a big one. Once I reached the edge of the roof, I pushed my most dominant foot against the ledge and leaped as far as I could. As I was nearing the next building, I reached out my hands and pushed my weight up from the ledge and did a front handspring. I landed flat on my feet with my arms pointing towards the air proudly.

The Joker always told me to make an entrance.

~~~

I got it; I got the diamond that Joker was talking about. The security system was nowhere near as complicated as the last shop I _‘visited.’_ There was only one, ancient looking, camera and a motion sensing alarm. One snip of a red wire and the whole system shut off. Simple.

As I made my way back to the roof, I held the diamond closer to my chest trying to keep from dropping it. It was a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be. The diamond was about the size of my hand, and fit nicely in my palm. The color was a subtle pink hue, yet lovely all the same. The glass rock seemed to shine in every angle it was seen in. This was by far the most stunning diamond I’ve _‘collected’_ by far, and I immediately understood why Joker would want something this elegant. It was breathtaking. I carefully tucked the _'prize'_ away in my black, leather knapsack that I carried over my shoulder. It wasn't very convenient carrying around a knapsack when you were jumping from rooftop to rooftop, but I have had this bag since before The Clown Prince, or so he called himself, found me. This bag was a part of me.

As I was adjusting the position of the diamond in my bag to be sure that it didn't get damaged on my way back to the lair. I suddenly heard the sound of something swooping down and landing firmly a few feet behind me. I swiftly turned around to face what I was hoping wasn't the police. I was certain that I deactivated the alarm. Why would the police show up?

My eyes widened when I noticed a black, shadowy figure glaring at me from the opposite side of the building. _"Who is that?"_ I thought to myself. I slowly backed away, putting more distance between us. I cursed myself internally for being so careless as to be discovered.

_"Who are you?"_ The figure asked me. I just stared, speechless. The voice became impatient and immediately demanded _"who sent you."_ Again, I didn't give an answer. The figure began to approach me. I let out an almost inaudible whimper at the sudden movement. The figure immediately ceased all movements, as if sensing my fear. Boy was I in trouble.

~~~

_"What am I supposed to do if I need to fight back?"_ I questioned with furrowed brows, and a faint frown. I didn’t know how to defend myself. If I got caught, I’d be toast! The Joker looked at me knowingly before responding.

_"If you don't get caught, then you don't need to fight!"_ He said with a bark of a laugh.

_Don’t get caught. Stay out of sight._

That had been my motto ever since. Dammit, Joker!

~~~

I was immediately snapped out of my thoughts by the sudden sound of something cutting through air, followed by the thump of what was assumed to be someone landing firmly onto the roof. I looked up to find another figure had appeared from the shadows, except it was a lot shorter than the first one.

_Shit, there are two of them._

_"Sorry I'm late."_ The voice of a young boy said. _"What did I miss?"_

The taller figure seemed to glare at him for a split second, before turning his attention back to me. I looked between the two shadows, still unsure of my next move. As if there was some sort of silent agreement, the first figure stepped forward from the shadows, only to reveal a tall man dressed in all black. Within seconds, he was soon joined by a young boy dressed in red spandex. I was speechless.

What the _HELL_? Is this some sort of joke? Then again, I did work for The Clown Prince of crime, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. Only in Gotham I suppose.

_"Who are you?"_ The man in the bat costume pressed again. He had a low and raspy voice, and it clearly wasn’t his real voice. I just stared at him blankly. Was I supposed to be intimidated or what? It’s really hard trying to keep a straight face when some random guy in a bat costume is trying to interrogate you with a ridiculous sounding voice. He must have noticed that I wasn't buying his act, because he started to step closer to me. I panicked and quickly backed up further. A gasp slipped past my lips as my heel neared closer to the edge of the roof. I was cornered! I shouldn’t have underestimated these guys. There was still a chance that they could seriously hurt me.

_“What am I supposed to do?”_ I cursed to myself.

Out of nowhere, a purple and green stripped parachute came floating down from the heavens. The Bat Guy and Mr. Spandex looked up at the parachute in surprise, and had completely forgotten about me for that very instant. I noticed the purple and green contraption was heading towards me so I reached out my hands and caught it.

_A TIMER?_

I turned it around and found a note tapped to the back.

**Here's a little something for your big exit.**

**It's going to leave the audience mind blown.**

**-Mister J**

A Timer. Big Exit. Mind Blown.

I gasped as I finally hit realization. _"It's a bomb!"_ I said louder than I planned. I turned it over to look at the timer as it counted down.

0:10... 0:09.... 0:08...

I quickly tossed it away from myself and looked up as I heard yelling from the other side of the roof.

_"Robin, it's a bomb! Jump!"_

It must have been the adrenaline because I suddenly bolted to the other side of the roof. The Bat tried to grab me but I was too quick and I dodged him with ease. I continued to sprint and...

**_BOOM!_ **

I was mid way through the air when the bomb went off. I was pushed forward due to the explosion and I landed hard on the next rooftop. Bits of cement and rubble were flying everywhere. I forced myself up on my knees to take a look at the scene before me. I winced as I looked at what remained of the roof. The whole roof had collapsed. It was a good thing nobody was in the building or else they would have been crushed.

_“Wait! What happened to Bats and Red?”_ I asked myself.

I quickly stood up and looked around.

Did they?

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed two figures on top of one of the higher up buildings across from the jewelry store. They were looking down at the building as if they were looking for something.

Were they looking for me?

Either way, I didn't want to wait to find out. I had to get back to The Joker and give him this diamond; otherwise, I’d never hear the end of it. I unzipped my knapsack to check on the treasure. Lucky for me, it was still in one piece. I don't even want to think about what he would do to me if I so much as scratched it.

I turned to leave _'the scene of the crime'_ and just when I was about to start rooftop hopping, I felt a sharp pain in my right leg and lower back.

I guess I'm walking.

~~~

After an hour of navigating the streets of Gotham, I finally made it back to The Joker's lair. I would have gotten there a lot faster if it wasn't for The Joker's _'exit plan.’_ Yes, if it wasn't for him, I'd probably be caught by the bat-weirdo and his little sidekick. I still wasn’t sure if being caught by the bat was worse than being blown to smithereens. I’d have to think about that later.

I sighed in frustration as I walked through the abandoned amusement park until I found the place that I was looking for. The Joker's House of Laughs. It's more of a hell hole if you ask me, but it wasn't always like this. Apparently, before Arkham was built, this park was pretty popular. Now it's just a dump that a well known psychopath inhabited.

As I walked through the mouth-like door of an over sized clown face, I started to feel anxious. I looked around and immediately noticed that all the lights were turned off. I was in the pitch dark with a complete psychopath. _"Maybe he went out?"_ I hoped.

Knowing that was most likely not the case, I decided to make myself known.

_"Hello?"_ I asked nervously. The only response was the sound of my own heart rate increasing. I decided to walk further into the building and try calling out again. _"Hello, is anyone here?"_ I said through a shaky voice. I stepped forward a few more steps, then out of nowhere a loud clicking noise echoed throughout the room followed by an irritating buzzing sound. The lights were instantly illuminated and I was blinded for a few seconds, but it only takes a few seconds.

I was suddenly spun around and thrown against a wall; I let out a pained yelp and caved forward. But before I could fall to the ground, my wrists were firmly pinned against the wall above my head. All of this happened within seconds of being blinded by the damn lights. I attempted to open my eyes but they weren't used to the amount of light in the room. I tried to squint to see my captor, but all I could see was a blur. _A GREEN and PURPLE blur._ Once the glare subsided and I was able to see again, I couldn't help but let out an irritated growl. My captor was none other than The Joker. I should have seen this coming.

The Joker's face twisted into a mock frown as he looked down at me with his emotionless eyes. _"You don't seem very happy to see me,"_ he said with a sad tone.

_"Gee, I wonder why?"_ I responded bitterly. That sure seemed to cheer him up. He suddenly threw his head back with a full on chuckle. The Clown Prince looked back at me with a sharp grin painted on his cheeks. He then shifted his body so that his face was a mere few inches away from my ear.

_"You're a feisty one, I like that."_ He whispered darkly.

His words sent shivers down my spine, and he clearly noticed for he started to giggle again. I was then relinquished from his death grip, before he turned around and skipped across the room like a child who was just called away to help his mother bake cookies. I started to gently rub my wrists to ease the pain when The Joker quickly spun around and began to speak

_"Did you get what I asked for?"_

_"Maybe."_ I replied, completely forgetting about my wrists. The Joker began to glower at me. I guess he does have a limit to the amount of sarcasm he can take before he snaps.

_"Yes, I got your stupid diamond_." I said quickly, not wanting to find out what he'd do if I didn't. His face instantly brightened up, and he began to smile again.

_"Good. You wouldn't want me to regret helping you out back there, would you?"_ He stated matter-of-factually. Right! I was going to confront him about nearly blowing me to bits. That’s when the itching thought hit me.

_"Who the hell is this Bat-in-tights guy, anyways?"_ I blurted out, and that was it. The Joker had officially lost his mind, again.

_"Bat-in-tights?"_ He giggled. _"That's a good one,"_ he choked out. He then started muttering badly thought out jokes, and punch lines to himself while I just stood there even more confused than before. As soon as I cleared my throat, Joker turned around and attempted to compose himself. He ran his fingers through his curly, green locks before slowly stalking towards me.

_"You see,"_ he started. But before continuing, he coated his lips with a thin layer of saliva, _"Batsy is what I like to call a 'party-pooper'."_ I stared at him, a little unsure of what he was getting at. Noticing my confusion, he simply grinned and continued to explain further.

_"The Batman always gets in the way of my fun,"_ he huffed out like a child _. "He just doesn't have any sense of humor."_

_"So... He's like the 'good-guy'?"_ I questioned.

_"You just have to go putting labels on people,"_ he sighed as he slapped a hand to his face in annoyance. The Joker turned around and started walking further into the building _."But mark my words, if you ever get caught-"_ he turned to face me with the diamond in his hand. My eyes widened and I started searching my bag but coming empty handed. How did he? I had my bag with me the whole time!

He chuckled and added – _"he won't hesitate to send you to Blackgate, or even Arkham."_

_"A-Arkham?"_

_"Why, yes of course! Who did you think you were associating with? A lowly THIEF?"_ He snorted. He turned once again and walked into the shadows of the room, leaving me alone.

Before his presence had completely vanished, a dark chuckle echoed throughout the room.

_"You're on my level now."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Chapters posted to Wattpad on 12/17/14 -- 05/16/2015.  
> Rewritten, combined short chapters 10/09/20.


	3. Game. Set. Match.

I was awoken by the eerie silence that surrounded the Joker's abode.

The silence was quite unusual. The atmosphere was usually filled with psychotic laughter, gun shots, or even both. Today was oddly different, and I couldn’t quite decide whether I should feel relieved or terrified. I rubbed my sleep deprived eyes, and arched my back upwards as if a rope was tied around my mid section and was being pulled up to the ceiling. After the satisfying crack of my spine, I flopped back down onto the naked mattress and let out a huge sigh of relief. I lazily turned my head to the side and attempted to fall back asleep, but something caught my eye.

Sitting on the, what seems to be blood, stained carpet was a purple envelope with a green ribbon wrapped around it. _"I wonder who it's from."_ I thought to myself with a sarcastic eye roll. I reached out my arm and snatched the flimsy letter. _"I might as well read the stupid thing."_ I sighed to myself. Whatever the Joker wants, it can't be good.

I tore the envelope open and discarded it on the floor, not caring if I ripped the letter inside. Fortunately, the letter was unharmed in the unwrapping process. _"Now, let's see what that son of a playing card has to say."_ I muttered to no one in particular.

**Good morning, Sunshine.**

**Do you want to play a game?**

_"A GAME. Do I even have a choice?"_ I snorted.

**And... No. You don't have a choice!**

_"Should have seen that one coming."_

**So here's how the game works...**

**Roses are red,**

**And Violets are blue,**

**Complete this one task,**

**Or you will go KABOOM!**

**Gee, ain't I a sucker for poetry?**

I swear I could hear him laughing hysterically at his own joke.

**P.S. Check your ankle, I left you a gift.**

**-Mister J.**

I stared at the letter for a few moments, completely puzzled. What the hell is he talking about? I tossed the piece of paper to the side then sat up abruptly. I swung my legs over the side of the mattress, and moved to toss the shaggy blanket to the end of the bed in a crumpled ball. The only sign that someone actually slept in this room. Once I removed the blanket from my lower half, I froze. Is that an ankle bracelet, the ones they put on people who are under house arrest? I pulled my ankle closer to my face, my eyes squinting slightly in hopes of clearing the image in front of me. The tiny, grey screen was flashing. Once my eyes finally focused on the screen on the front part of the anklet, I nearly choked on my breath.

_IT WAS COUNTING DOWN_.

My mind wondered back to the cheesy poem the Joker had clearly ripped off from some poor poet.

**One Task. Kaboom. Count Down.**

A BOMB!

The Joker attached a bomb to my ankle while I was asleep!? He violated my personal space, he violated my trust. Honestly, I shouldn’t have been so surprised. He was a Crime Lord after all, but there was something about the situation I just couldn’t let go. The sudden anger bubbled up inside me, as I inhaled sharply and let out a blood curdling scream.

_"You Bastard!"_

~~~

I ended up finding another note after my little _‘break down._ ’ This time around, I could tell Joker struggled coming up with something clever for his latest _‘hint,’_ as the note was covered in scribbles and slashes.

**~~How many Jokers does it take to bake a cake?~~ ** **~~Dinner parties are for suckers…~~**

**Gotham’s finest gather for Charity?**

**The Mayor needs some Clarity.**

**What’s a Dinner Party without the hilarity?**

**-Mister J.**

I couldn’t help but laugh at his struggles for another punch line. At least this time he didn’t rip it off from another poet.

With a little more research, it turned out that there was a Fine Dining Charity Event for Gotham’s Children’s Hospital being held at _‘La Petite Sirène’_. All of Gotham’s richest would be attending, including the mayor. This so called _'dinner party'_ was a little harder to get to than I thought. It turns out that the whole restaurant was booked for the evening and nobody could get in without an invitation.

_"I guess I can't pretend to be rich and important."_ I thought to myself sadly.

I looked over my shoulder at the metallic cart that was covered with a simple, purple cloth.

_"Let's just get this over with."_

~~~

The light clacks of my heels echoed throughout the restaurant, as I made my way past the tables. The guests had already arrived, and were now sitting at their tables as they chattered amongst themselves. The men were all dressed in suites, and the women wore extravagant gowns. Many of them had some sort of dead animal wrapped around their shoulders. Gold chains and pearls dangled from their sagging throats. They even smelt rich. It made me sick to my stomach.

Refocusing on my task, I reached my hand towards my collar and gave it a slight tug; it was as tight as a noose. There was absolutely no room in this outfit for breathing, but I do have to admit that it was quite slimming on my figure.

Luckily for me, the people running this little _'get together'_ weren't that bright. I literally just walked in through the back door with a waitressing uniform and a cart, and they just let me walk straight in. I'm still a little shocked; if I was a frequent guest here then I would be worried about who's handling my food. I took a deep breath and continued pushing the service cart that was lightly decorated with a purple cloth. Sitting on top was a mysterious dish which was covered by a silver cloche. It was quite obvious where the dish came from, but that didn't cross my mind at that moment in time. I was more focused on getting this dish to the mayor.

It was about 15 minutes before 10, so I still had about 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete my task. I was only a few tables away from the target when I noticed a man get up from his table and leave. I gave him a polite smile as he walked by me. _"Ok, now's my chance."_ I said to myself.

I wheeled the cart up to the head table with a smile plastered across my rosy cheeks.

_"Good evening, sir."_ I said politely.

_"Good evening."_ The mayor said eyeing the cart. _"I didn't order anything."_ He continued.

_"Oh! But, of course not sir. This is compliments from the chef."_ I said while lifting the cloche to reveal whatever was beneath it.

Beneath the cloche was a three layered chocolate cake with vanilla icing. The mayor seemed pleased with the surprise gift. As soon as he was about to give his thanks, the cake started to laugh hysterically.

I continued to stand behind the cart with an eerie smile as the mayor looked up at me with confusion.

_"Is this supposed to be some sort of sick j-"_ He never got to finish his sentence.

The mayor was interrupted by a little, plastic clown that suddenly shot out of the cake like a jack-in-the-box. All of the commotion caught the attention of the guests. The rich fools had started to look around the room hysterically, trying to figure out what was going on. The mayor's face started to turn scarlet, as he clenched his fists on top of the table. He looked as if he were about to explode. It was hilarious!

Before the mayor could say anything further, the little clown started to secrete a thick, green gas. I immediately covered my face with a purple and green gas mask that the Joker provided for me. The gas quickly dispersed around the room, and everyone started to cough violently.

One by one, the guests started to drop like flies, including the mayor. The more the gas had spread around the room, the less effect it had. Once everyone had fallen unconscious, I removed my mask and scanned the room.

_"Piece of cake."_ I mused.

~~~

The light clacking sound of high heels pacing back and forth across the, now silent, room was starting to get very unnerving. It had been a good hour and a half since I crashed this _'high class'_ party. Everyone was unconscious now, but you weren’t sure how long that would last. Joker didn’t leave me any other instructions, and I already ripped the cart apart to check. Now I was currently waiting for some sort of sign. I stopped pacing and instantly crossed my arms over my chest with a huff.

_"I feel like I've just been stood up."_ As if on cue, the front doors of the restaurant were forced open bringing in a cold breeze. I shivered at the feeling.

_"Sorry I'm late, Sweetheart. Traffic was just brutal!"_ A voice said over the sound of a door being slammed shut. _"Oh, seems like I missed the party."_ A twisted voice giggled from the opposite side of the restaurant. I turned my body towards the voice with my arms still crossed and flashed him a deadly glare.

_"Like you even follow the traffic laws."_ I grumbled with an eyebrow raised.

The Joker giggled once more before maneuvering his way around the guests while mumbling out _"scuse me,"_ and _"pardon me,"_ until he was standing directly in front of me. He was sporting his usual attire with his green hair slicked back with gel. He was always dressed for the occasion. Whatever that occasion may be.

_"Well, it's not my fault that there were so many people on the sidewalk."_ He said with a mock frown. I just rolled my eyes and shrugged off his comment. He didn't seem too concerned about me giving him the cold shoulder, so he stepped right around me and walked over to the crime scene.

He then immediately crouched down next to the mayor's sleeping form and rested his chin on the table. _"Gee, this party sure is a snooze fest,"_ he grinned. _"Shoulda hired me as your party planner,"_ he added while patting the mayor's back. _"Ah, well. You snooze, you lose."_ As soon as he said that, the Joker jumped back up to his feet and pulled the chair from underneath the mayor. In an instant, the mayor went toppling to the floor like a sack of potatoes. The Joker immediately started cackling and hooting.

After a few minutes of none stop laughter, I decided to get his attention by clearing my throat. The Joker looked over at me with a satisfied sigh as he wiped away a single tear from his eye. I've had enough of whatever this is. I just wanted to get this stupid anklet off. As I was about to enquire regarding my current predicament, out of nowhere the all too familiar swooping sound came from the same side of the restaurant the Joker had previously made his entrance.

_"Oh, no..."_ I held in a breath.

_"Well if it isn't Batsy."_ The Joker started.

I quickly turned my attention to the dark, shadowy figure from the other night. Not him. Why did it have to be him?

_"Sorry, Batman, but this party is invite only. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."_ The Joker finished with a vicious smile.

_"I was going to ask you the same, Joker."_ The figure shot back with his signature dark, raspy tone. The Joker’s grin spread further at that.

_"Actually, I was just about to head out. This party is a little… dead."_ The Joker paused briefly. He started to giggle at Batman’s knowing glares from the shadows. Joker loved nothing more than pissing off the Batman.

As I Ignored the exchange between the two costumed pair, I was beginning to get nervous. My mind was engulfed in questions I didn’t have the answers to.

_How were we supposed to get out of here?_

_How did the Batman find us?_

_Would he send us to Arkham?_

I started to think about all the possibilities, and where I could have made a mistake. Everyone was unconscious within seconds. The gas was quite effective, and there wouldn’t have been time to call for help. Except…

_THAT MAN!_

There was the man from earlier. Now that I thought about it, I never saw him go back to his table. He must have escaped and called for help without me realizing. I started to curse myself internally. This was my first major mission and I had screwed it up royally. I couldn’t tell the Joker about this.

I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts by another voice that happened to join in on the conversation.

_"Hey, you didn't tell me you got invited to a sleepover."_ A boyish voice interrupted.

_"Not now, Robin"_

I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. By being around the Joker all the time, I started to get used to his ‘sense of humor.’ It was nice hearing someone else joke around once in a while. I must have been louder than I thought because everyone was staring at me. The Joker didn't seem too impressed with me, but I didn't care. What really caught me off guard was the boy.

Was he smiling at me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More rewritten work.  
> Chapters originally posted to Wattpad on (05/26/2015), (06/3/2015), and (8/15/2015).  
> Two more chapters to rewrite!
> 
> Let me know what you all think! I'd love to hear any constructive criticism regarding my writing.  
> Thank you  
> -SweeetDreamz  
> XOXO


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